1. Field
The present invention relates generally to wireless communication networks and packet switched data networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to using a wireless communication device to perform a proxy authentication on behalf of a tethered device, wherein the tethered device is using the wireless communication network to access a packet switched data network.
2. Background
The field of wireless communications has many applications including, e.g., cordless telephones, paging, wireless local loops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), Internet telephony, and satellite communication systems. A particularly important application is cellular telephone systems for remote subscribers. As used herein, the term “cellular” system encompasses systems using either cellular or personal communications services (PCS) frequencies. Various over-the-air interfaces have been developed for such cellular telephone systems including, e.g., frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and code division multiple access (CDMA). In connection therewith, various domestic and international standards have been established including, e.g., Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), Global System for Mobile (GSM), and Interim Standard 95 (IS-95). IS-95 and its derivatives, IS-95A, IS-95B, ANSI J-STD-008 (often referred to collectively herein as IS-95), and proposed high-data-rate systems are promulgated by the Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) and other well-known standards bodies.
Cellular telephone systems configured in accordance with the use of the IS-95 standard employ CDMA signal processing techniques to provide highly efficient and robust cellular telephone service. Exemplary cellular telephone systems configured substantially in accordance with the use of the IS-95 standard are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,103,459 and 4,901,307, which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. An exemplary system utilizing CDMA techniques is the cdma2000 ITU-R Radio Transmission Technology (RTT) Candidate Submission (referred to herein as cdma2000), issued by the TIA. The standard for cdma2000 is given in the draft versions of IS-2000 (cdma2000 1×EV-DV) and IS-856 (cdma2000 1×EV-DO) and has been approved by the TIA. Another CDMA standard is the W-CDMA standard, as embodied in 3rd Generation Partnership Project “3GPP”, Document Nos. 3G TS 25.211, 3G TS 25.212, 3G TS 25.213, and 3G TS 25.214. The W-CDMA standard is in the process of incorporation into a GSM-based system known as Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS).
The telecommunication standards cited above are examples of only some of the various communications systems that can be implemented. One general category of standards is referred to as “Third Generation” or “3G,” of which cdma2000 and W-CDMA are both members. These 3G standards are directed towards increased data rates, which will support increased user numbers and data-intensive applications.
Given the growing demand for wireless data applications, the need for very efficient wireless data communication systems has become increasingly significant. One such wireless data application is the transmission of data packets that originate or terminate at packet-switching networks. Various protocols exist for transmitting packetized traffic over packet-switching networks so that information arrives at its intended destination. The primary protocol for transmitting packetized traffic is “The Internet Protocol,” Request for Comment (RFC) 791 (September, 1981). The Internet Protocol (IP) breaks up messages into packets, routes the packets from a sender to a destination, and reassembles the packets into the original messages at the destination. The IP protocol requires that each data packet begins with an IP header containing source and destination address fields that uniquely identifies host and destination computers. Another protocol is the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), promulgated in RFC 1661 (July 1994), which is an encapsulation protocol for transporting IP traffic over point-to-point links. Yet another protocol is the IP Mobility Support, promulgated in RFC 2002 (October 1996), which is a protocol that provides for transparent outing of IP datagrams to mobile nodes.
Hence, the transmission of IP packets from the IP network over a wireless communication network or from the wireless communication network over the IP network can be accomplished by adherence to a set of protocols, referred to as a protocol stack. A wireless communication device may be the origination or the destination of the IP packet, or alternatively, the wireless communication device may be a transparent link to an electronic device. In either case, payload information is broken into packets wherein header information is added to each packet. The IP header sits on top of the PPP layer, which sits on the RLP layer, which sits on top of the physical layer of the wireless air interface. The RLP layer is the Radio Link Protocol layer, which is responsible for selectively retransmitting packets when a transmission error occurs. In a WCDMA system, the PPP layer sits on the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, which has a similar functionality as the RLP layer.
Data may be transported over-the-air to a packet data service node (PDSN) via an Access Point (AP), whereupon the data is subsequently sent over an IP network. Using terminology from cellular communication system, an AP may also be thought of as a base station or a base station equivalent. Alternatively, IP packets may be transmitted over an IP network to a PDSN, from a PDSN to an AP, and then over-the-air to a wireless communication device. A wireless communication device may be referred to as an Access Terminal (AT) in the terminology of a wireless communication protocol or alternatively, the wireless communication device may be referred to as a Mobile Node (MN) in the terminology of an IP protocol.
There are numerous difficulties that abound when attempting to wirelessly transfer data that originates or terminates in wired environments. One such difficulty is the authentication of the devices that attempt to access packet data services via wireless communications equipment. Due to the multiplicity of protocols involved in transmitting IP packets over a wireless environment, there are a multiplicity of authentication procedures that must be satisfied if a device tethered to a wireless communication device desires access to a wired network. In one possible scenario, the wireless communication device would be required to satisfy authentication procedures of the wireless network, the tethered device may be required to satisfy authentication procedures of the wired network, and the authentication procedures of one may affect the authentication procedures of the other. Hence, when multiple protocols are used, the implementation of different authentication requirements corresponding to each protocol is possible within an end-to-end communication session. However, to implement different authentication requirements in a timely and computationally efficient fashion is problematic.